Perfection Lost
by Ariyanna
Summary: AU-Instead of dying, James disappears. Sirius doesn't go after Peter. Remus doesn't run away. Harry grows up in a happy home with the Dursleys. Dudley dies as an infant. What will happen with the war of Dark and Light with all of these changes? Will Voldemort still rise? Harry will have to choose his path. Will he choose the Dark, or the Light?
1. Chapter 1

**Perfection Lost**

* * *

Prologue

Petunia Dursley, a tall, thin woman with ash blonde hair and light green eyes, opened her front door to pick up the morning newspaper from the step. Her eyes widened in disbelief for instead of her daily paper there was a sleeping baby in a basket. The poor child had nothing but a thin blue blanket tucked around him with a piece of paper pinned to the side of the basket. His whole little body was being racked by tremors from the cold. Without another thought, Petunia bent down and scooped the small child from the basket making sure to keep the blanket wrapped securely around him. He appeared to be just a little over a year old. She frowned in confusion as she suddenly felt the need to put the child down. He was disgusting! His blanket smelled of smoke, and he had a cut just above his right eye in the shape of a lightning bolt. The longer she held the child, the more disgusted and angry Petunia became, so she grabbed the basket and note and carried the child into the house. Her disgust and anger only intensified the closer she held the child to her.

She immediately unwrapped the baby and threw the blanket in the nearest trash bin. Almost instantly, the disgust and near hatred she'd been feeling faded away. Scrunching her brow, she realized that the baby was her own nephew, Harry, Lily's son. Why would he be left here like this? She unpinned the note all the while balancing the baby in one arm. He was quite the healthy little thing with chub rolls under his chin and on his little wrists. Quite cuddly, Petunia thought as she opened the note.

 _Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,_

 _I regret to inform you that your sister, Lily Jazmine Potter nee' Evans has been murdered. This child is her only son, Harry James Potter. I leave him to your care._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Cheif Warlock_

 _Albus_ _Percival_ _Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

Petunia gasped and began trembling. NO! She thought. Lily couldn't be dead! Where was James? The note said nothing about James. Why was little Harry brought here? Petunia knew in that moment that something was fiercely wrong. She knew that, even in the wizarding world, that children were not just left on a doorstep when their mothers died. She decided to try to contact Lily and James' friends. Hopefully Sirius would know what was going on. She took the baby up to the room that she and Vernon had prepared for their own little one, Dudley. She blinked back the tears as she lay Harry down in the cot. First her little boy had been lost to sudden infant death syndrome, and now Lily had been murdered. She knew that with the profession Lily had chosen that she was always in danger, but murdered? Grief slammed into her heart with a ferocious force as she dressed Harry and tucked a green blanket around the small child left in her care. She swallowed back a sob as she turned on the unused baby monitor and left the room. She had a letter to write.

 _Sirius,_

 _I don't know what's going on, but I just found little Harry in a basket on my doorstep. Who leaves a baby in nothing but a diaper with only a thin blanket outside in November?! There was a small note attached that said Lily is dead. Where is James? Why was Harry brought to me if his father is still alive? Please write back, or come by soon. I'm very distraught. I need you._

 _Tuney_

Petunia folded the note up how Lily had shown her when they were children so that the owl could carry it. She then went out to the backyard and whistled. A small, tawny owl flew down from the roof and landed on her outstretched hand. She was so glad Lily had gifted her with Larry. Yes, it was a silly name, but Petunia had had a crush on a boy named Larry when Lily had given her the owl before she started her second year at Hogwarts. So the name stuck.

"Take this to Sirius Black. I don't know where he might be, but I hope you find him quickly."

The small owl nipped her fingers affectionately before taking flight. Petunia sighed and went back in the house to check on little Harry. She was terrified of leaving him alone for too long. Oh, how she missed her own child. Dudley had been such a quiet baby. She had thought nothing of it when she'd gone in to check on him and he hadn't made any noise. It was when she'd picked him up that she realized he wasn't breathing. She'd called an ambulance and sent a note off to Lily for help, but the ambulance was too late; and Lily had held her and cried with her after explaining that there was nothing even magic could do. It took a lot for Petunia not to blame her sister for her son's death. Magic could do the impossible! How could it not save her baby boy? But, in the end, she had realized that it wasn't Lily's fault. It still hurt deeply. It had only been a little over a year since Dudley had gone to sleep and not woken up. Petunia and Vernon both had left the nursery just as it was the last time her baby had been in there. They hadn't had the heart to change anything, yet. And now, she was grateful that she hadn't given all of the baby things away. She would die herself before she let anything happen to her nephew.

Petunia lifted Harry from the cot and noticed that his eyes were open. He was looking at her with his little head tilted to the side curiously. He knew this woman. She reminded him of his mummy. Where was his mummy?

"Mah!" Harry blurted at Petunia. Petunia smiled at him as he waved his short little arms at her.

"Mummy isn't here, my little Love." Petunia responded sadly. She wasn't sure if the boy would understand or not, so was a bit surprised when he scrunched up his nose and tried again.

"Dah!" Harry tried with a hopeful look in his eyes. The last he'd seen his mummy and daddy there had been a bad man yelling at them. His mummy had grabbed him and tried to run away, but Harry didn't know what happened after that.

"Oh, Harry," Petunia sighed softly. "I don't know where your daddy is right now, but I'm trying to find out. Would you like a plushy to play with?" She picked up a wolf plushy that Remus had given to Dudley when he was born and tickled the baby's nose with the false fur.

"Mooey!" Harry cried out happily and grabbed the stuffed wolf. If Moony was here, then everything was okay. He hugged the plushy to his chest with a big smile at the pretty lady.

"Mooey?" Petunia asked. "Do you mean Moony, Love?" She smiled down at the baby. He was quite vocal for his age. Maybe I should send a note off to Remus as well, Petunia thought to herself as she carried Harry downstairs. Maybe Remus would know what's going on. She was a little sad that her own nephew didn't seem to know her as well as he should have done. She sighed softly knowing it was because she had distanced herself a bit from Lily and her family after she and Vernon had lost Dudley.

Oh dear, she hoped Vernon would understand. He'd been so distant since Dudley. They had been so very happy when she'd found out she was pregnant, and Vernon couldn't have been more proud of their beautiful baby when he was born. Petunia feared that Vernon blamed her for his loss and was a bit afraid that he would demand she get rid of Harry. Vernon had never gotten quite comfortable with magic, being a muggle and all. Perhaps little Harry could help with that. Petunia so badly wanted to be there for her nephew like his mother had been there for her after her loss.

"No crwy," Harry said as he patted her cheeks with his chubby little hands. He didn't know why this nice lady was crying, but he didn't like seeing her so sad. She looked a lot like his mummy and he never wanted his mummy to be sad either. "Mooey make betta," Harry said while pushing the plushy against his aunt's shoulder like the stuffed wolf was giving her a hug.

Petunia smiled down at the sweet baby and went to the kitchen to write a letter to Remus.

 _Remus,_

 _I sent a letter off to Sirius, but haven't heard back from him, yet. Please contact me as soon as you possibly are able. I have Harry. He was left on my doorstep this morning with a note from your old headmaster, Dumbledore. I can't believe the man would leave a baby outside in just a diaper with a thin blanket in November! Is he insane?! Please, please write back or come to the house. We still live at Number four Privet Drive in Surrey. I'm very confused about what is going on. Where is James?! The note Dumbledore left said Lily has been murdered, but there's nothing about James. Please, Remus, I need help._

 _Tuney_

* * *

*****HP****

Petunia and Harry were sitting on a blanket in the living room floor playing with plastic blocks when Vernon arrived home from work that day. Petunia was absolutely amazed at the magic the child was already showing. Lily had told her that he was quite advanced already, but Petunia hadn't realized just how advanced. Little Harry was waving his chubby hands around making the blocks float to land on top of each other. They had a very precariously balanced block tower that tumbled to the ground when the front door opened. Harry's head whipped around to see who had come in the door. He was so hoping it was his mummy or daddy. When Vernon walked through the door, Harry threw his arms out wide and shouted, "Fernown!" Petunia gasped in surprised. Harry had only ever met Vernon once, but they had gotten on like a kitten with a box. Her anxiety eased when Vernon smiled happily at her nephew.

"Hello there, Little Man!" Vernon responded happily. He'd always adored babies, and missed his son so very much. Seeing his nephew with his wife playing brought a smile to his face. This little boy was just too adorable. "Hello, Pet," he said as he leaned down to brush a kiss against Petunia's cheek. Petunia smiled up at him.

"Vernon, something awful has happened," Petunia whispered shakily. "Li-Lily is d-dead!" she sobbed quietly.

"Oh, Pet," Vernon sighed, "what has happened?" He put his briefcase on the table and sat on the floor next to his wife and pulled her into his arms.

"I don't know!" Petunia wailed as she pressed her face into his chest. His strong arms tightened around her as he ran one hand through her hair comfortingly. "I went out to get the paper this morning, and found Harry in a basket! He was only in a diaper!"

"What?!" Vernon was outraged. Who in their bloody right mind left a one year old who was perfectly capable of walking, if a bit clumsily, on his own in a damned basket on a doorstep! In a diaper! In November! His face was quickly becoming a light puce color in his anger.

"Yes, I know. It's quite surprising, but I don't know where James is at, or why Harry was left here. I've sent off letters to Remus and Sirius, but no one has responded! We have to keep Harry here until we know what's happened to James. I won't let my nephew go anywhere without me!" Petunia was quite determined that her husband would allow her nephew to stay.

"Of course, Pet, of course!" Vernon exclaimed. He wasn't going to let anything happen to this child. He had already lost his own, he would not lose his nephew as well. "How long has it been since you sent off the letters? You know it can take some time before they are received, especially if Remus and Sirius are far from here."

"I sent them this morning as soon as I found Harry," Petunia answered softly. She was still in her husband's arms with little Harry sitting in her lap. The baby reached up and patted her cheeks again saying, "No Cwry, Uny."

Vernon smiled down at the little boy and wrapped his arms around him too. He was quite the precocious child. It made Vernon's heart soar when the baby reached up and patted his cheeks too.

"If we don't hear from them by tomorrow morning, I will go to that pub that Lily showed us in case of emergencies and try to find someone who knows what's happened." Vernon suggested to his distraught wife.

"Oh, thank you, Vernon!" Petunia exclaimed. She knew he was uncomfortable with magic, and for him to volunteer to go into the magical world meant he was just as concerned about Harry and his parents as she was herself.

"Here, I'll take Harry and you can go get dinner started, Pet." Vernon released his hold on his wife and picked up the cute baby and tossed him in the air making him squeal happily.

"Okay, thank you, Love." Petunia got up, straightened her clothes, wiped the tears from her face, and went to prepare dinner for the three of them. Hopefully they would hear from someone soon.

* * *

****HP****

Vernon had just secured Harry in the high chair to feed him when there was a loud knock on the door. He turned to Petunia and saw that she had her hands full with putting a small roast on the table and said, "I'll get the door."

When he opened the door he was surprised to see not only Remus, but Sirius and a teenage girl he had never met. His eyes widened slightly when the girl's hair slowly turned from mousy brown to a bright vivid blue.

"Oh my!" Vernon exclaimed in surprised. "Come in, come in!" His eyes never left the girl's hair as he ushered the two wizards and witch into the house. Magic still amazed him. Petunia thought he was adverse to it, but that wasn't the case. He'd just never been around it enough to become comfortable. It still amazed him that people could do so much with just a thought.

"Vernon," Sirius said with a polite nod. "This is my cousin, Nymph. She came with us to watch Harry while we talk."

"We were just sitting down to dinner. Would you like to join us?" Vernon responded politely. He had always gotten on with Remus, but didn't know Sirius quite as well as the other man. For some reason, Petunia didn't speak about Sirius as she did the others.

"Oh, we can't," Sirius began only to be interrupted by Remus.

"Is that Tuney's famous pot roast I smell?" Remus asked with a mischevious glance at his companions. He knew Sirius would give in as soon as he knew what was for dinner. It was well known amongst the Marauders that Lily's sister was an excellent cook. The woman could have been a famous chef if she'd so chosen.

"Tuney's roast?" Sirius asked with a grin. "Well, don't mind if I do." The animagus sauntered into the kitchen to the sound of exasperated chuckles from Remus.

Remus reached out and put a hand on Vernon's shoulder to get his attention before they entered the kitchen. "How is she taking it?"

Vernon sighed deeply and said, "She's torn up about her sister, but seems to be clinging to Harry to help displace her grief. I'm glad you could come. She's going to need you."

"We will always be here to help a friend. And you and Tuney are our friends."

"Thank you, Remus," Vernon said as he motioned for them to go into the kitchen. He looked over his shoulder at the young girl and chuckled when she tripped over some non-existant something. "Shall we?"

* * *

****HP****

"Pa'foo!" Harry hollered when Sirius entered the kitchen, his fat little arms waving madly.

"Hello there, munchkin!" Sirius said with a sad smile. This was going to be so hard. Lily was dead, and James was missing. It took all Sirius had to maintain his composure in front of the little tyke.

"Hi, Sirius," Petunia whispered. She'd always been shy around her sister's handsome friend. Sirius Black was the most gorgeous man she'd ever laid eyes on before. She remembered how Lily had convinced Sirius to go on a double date with her, James, and Petunia. It had been fun, but Sirius and Petunia just weren't meant to be. She was too shy. He was too boisterous. It just wouldn't have worked. Or, so she kept telling herself.

"Tuney, c'mere, Love." Sirius wrapped her in his arms as she collapsed against him. "It's going to be okay."

"N-no, it's not," Petunia sobbed quietly into his chest. Sirius had always given the best hugs. "Li-lily!"

"I got your letter and came right away. I brought Remus and my cousin, Nymph, with me to help out." Sirius said quietly as he watched Harry smashing peas and mashed potatoes into his hair. That was going to be fun getting out, he thought to himself.

"Nymph?" Petunia asked as she pulled away from the man who would always have a small part of her heart. For you see, she had never gotten over her attraction to Sirius, but knew it wasn't meant to be for them. She was content now with Vernon, but their relationship wasn't the fire and passion and lust and the oh-my-god-overwhelming-don't-leave-my-sight kind of relationship that she knew she would have had with Sirius. She pushed those thoughts away and turned to Harry and laughed sadly.

"Oh my! Look at you!" Petunia called out with a small smile and a sigh. "You're suppose to eat the veggies, not wear them, Love."

"Pa'foo! Up!" Sirius couldn't deny the chubby little arms reaching out to him and plucked the baby from the high chair tickling his tummy.

He sat down at the table and looked at Petunia expectantly. "I was told there was Tuney's famous roast that was in dire need of me eating it." He said seriously with a raised brow.

Petunia giggled at Sirius' antics and began serving him a plate piled high with roast, potatoes, peas, and garlic bread. He always had been able to make her feel better. Sirius reached out and grabbed her hand giving it a small squeeze in thanks. This is what the others saw as they entered the room.

"Ah, I see how it is, Sirius," Vernon said somberly, "you have taken it upon yourself to steal away my wife for her fabulous culinary skills!" His moustache twitched in amusement as Sirius jerked his hand away from Petunia with a sheepish smile at her husband.

"It wouldn't be because of her culinary skills that I stole her away," Sirius muttered under his breath. He still wished he could go back and convince Tuney that they would be good together. After all, it had been her decision to not explore a relationship between them. One night, and what a magnificent night it had been, was all she'd allowed him before telling him that it would never work. He sometimes wondered if she ever regretted that decision. He knew he did.

"What was that?" Vernon asked when he saw Sirius' lips moving, but couldn't hear what was said.

"Oh," Sirius stuttered as he fought down a blush at being caught out by the husband of the woman he wanted, "nothing. You are absolutely right!" Vernon gave him a funny look, but turned to take his own seat at the table.

Remus saw how Sirius was watching Petunia and he hoped that someday they would work things out, but he liked Vernon and didn't want to see him hurt. So, with that thought in mind, he found himself a seat and began eating the food that Petunia had placed in front of him.

"I already had dinner!" Nymphadora blurted out before blushing bright red at her rudeness. "But, I'll take Harry and get him cleaned up!" She quickly added scooping Harry out of Sirius' lap and laughing when the baby smeared peas across his godfather's nose.

"Oh, thank you, Dear," Petunia said, "The bathroom is upstairs and the second door to the right." She picked up a napkin to wipe of Siri's face, but just caught herself in time and handed it to him with a blush. He took it with a little smirk at her shyness.

As soon as Nymph had taken Harry to clean up, Petunia looked Sirius dead in the eye and demanded, "What the bloody hell is going on? What happened to Lily? Where the hell is James? And WHY was my nephew left on the doorstep!?"

It was Remus who answered because Sirius had a mouth full of roast and was hurriedly chewing so he could answer, but wasn't having much luck. That's what happens when you shove your mouth so full that you look like a chipmunk.

"The house in Godric's Hollow was destroyed. All we know is that they were attacked. Lily was hit with the killing curse protecting Harry, we found her body lying in front of the fireplace. It looked like she had been trying to floo away with Harry. And James is nowhere to be found. I got there just after Sirius when we felt the wards around the house go off. We'd been staying there to help Jamie with a project from work, and those wards are the only reason why we knew anything was wrong at all. Harry was already gone when I got there, but Sirius said Hagrid had agreed to bring him to you. I can't believe he just left him here like that though. It doesn't seem like Hagrid to do something so callous to a child. I tried to reach him after receiving your letter, but there's been no word or any sight of him since he left Godric's Hollow. I also tried to reach Dumbledore. No answer, or known whereabouts, of him either." Remus explained quietly.

"Oh." Petunia was wide eyed and terrified. What was so powerful to destroy a house besides a bomb? But this was a magical explosion. She wondered if maybe James had been kidnapped and decided to ask.

"Well, that's what we thought at first too. But, you see, his wand was on the floor. Even kidnapped, Jamie wouldn't have lost his wand." Sirius answered gruffly. "He has a special holster that prevents it from being removed from his person. If he'd been disarmed, the wand would have automatically returned to the holster."

"What do we do from here?" Vernon asked softly. "The boy can stay with us. I know you two are very busy most days, and I'm sure Pet would love to have a little one in the house again."

"Oh, Vernon!" Petunia exclaimed in happiness and roughly kissed his lips before pulling away to stare at Sirius. She saw the jealousy in his eyes but chose to ignore it. For now. "Please, Siri, please let him stay?!"

"Of course," Sirius said with a tight smile. There was no way in hell he was going to tell her no after she used his nickname in that pleading voice. The damned woman had him wrapped around her little finger without even trying hard. He sighed quietly. It didn't help that she'd looked at him longingly after kissing her husband either.

"Well, I think we must be going. There are still a lot of people that need to be informed of what has happened. Thank you for dinner, and I'm so very sorry." Remus said somberly as he rose from the table. "Give Harry hugs and kisses for me, please. I don't want to upset him when we leave."

"Any time, Remus," Vernon answered as his eyes traveled from his wife to Sirius. He knew there was something he was missing there, but didn't really care to figure out what it was at this time. "Please stay in touch. Harry is going to need all of us."

"Absolutely!" Sirius agreed as he too rose from the table. "I will be by every weekend, at least, to see Harry."

"We look forward to it," Petunia answered with a tiny smile to herself. Oh, yes, she would look forward to seeing Sirius Black anytime.

With a goodbye and a kiss to Harry's forehead, Sirius and Nymph left the little family to their evening.

"What's next?" Nymph asked.

"Now, we go find James."

* * *

 **AN** : This is my first ever Harry Potter fanfiction. I hope you like it. I've read a lot of stories about how Harry is abused growing up, and decided to write one where he's treated well by his family. If you have questions, please pm me. Please review!


	2. Chapter One- Ten Years Later

Perfection Lost

* * *

Chapter One- Ten Years Later

***HP***

* * *

It was a mild day outside. A gentle breeze fluttered through the leaves of the tree where a dark haired, green-eyed boy sat on the deck of the tree-house he and his Uncle Vernon had finished building just last week. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes with a gentle smile playing upon his lips. It had been a good summer so far. Today was his birthday, and he would be eleven years old.

"Are you ever going to come down from there?" was hissed in amusement by a small, green snake that was slowly slithering its way up the tree.

"Why should I?" The boy hissed back, glancing down at his friend.

"Your humans are home," the little snake, which Harry had named Kai, short for Malachite, hissed as he wrapped himself around Harry's leg. "Isn't it your hatch day?" Harry giggled as Kai continued to slither his way up Harry's body until he was coiled comfortably around Harry's shoulders.

"They're home?!" the boy asked excitedly as he jumped down from the deck of his tree-house. He didn't bother with the ladder that had been nailed to the tree trunk. He simply waved his hand and floated himself down. He was so very excited. He couldn't wait to see if Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had gotten him the newest game console, the Super Nintendo. He'd been dying to try it ever since he'd seen the advertisement on the telly. He was hoping that Remus and Sirius would come to visit too.

Harry quickly made his way to the back door. After toeing off his shoes, he padded in his socks to the kitchen and entered the living room just as his uncle opened the front door. Both, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, were loaded down with shopping bags from different stores. Harry thought he could see the game store's logo on one of the bags. He was bouncing on his toes in excitement.

Vernon Dursley, a tall, blonde man who was rather large, looked up and saw his nephew and couldn't stop the grin from blossoming on his face, his handle bar moustache twitching in amusement. The boy looked like he was on a pogo stick because he was bouncing up and down so much. Vernon chuckled as he set down the shopping bags and turned to his lovely wife, Petunia, with a raised brow.

"I think he's going to bounce away at this rate," the large man said teasingly.

"Oh, I hope not," Petunia giggled. "It would be a lot harder to catch him now than it was when he was three. Do you remember that Vernon?"

"Of course!" Vernon chuckled. "The poor thing had climbed out of his crib and landed with a bounce on the floor before bouncing down the stairs. It was a good thing you were waiting at the bottom, Love."

"Oi!" Harry called out with a bright blush staining his cheeks. "I thought we weren't going to bring up my weirdness anymore!"

"Oh, Harry," Petunia sighed in exasperation, "You are not weird! You are magical. There's a difference. Your mother and father would have been so proud of the power you can use without effort. Maybe even a bit jealous."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry responded with a grimace. He had stopped bouncing on his toes and was leaned against the door jamb between the kitchen and living room. "I'm special. I know. I just don't like everyone else knowing. They all think I'm crazy anyway."

"You are not crazy," Petunia stated firmly. "That's enough of that kind of talk. Now, come help me put away the groceries while your uncle sets up your birthday gifts." With that, Petunia grabbed up her grocery bags and made her way to the kitchen with Harry following behind slowly. He was hoping to see what Uncle Vernon had in the bags he had started to unload.

Harry had just entered the kitchen behind his aunt when there was a loud knock on the front door. He stopped to see who it could be.

"Ah, right on time!" Vernon said happily as he turned from the many bags he'd been opening to answer the door. "Come in, come in. It's so good to see you again, Remus!"

"Moony!" Harry shouted before barrelling into one of his father's best mates from school. "I wasn't sure if you would make it. Is Siri coming too?"

"Of course, I made it!" Remus answered with a smile. "I wouldn't miss my cub's birthday!"

Harry noticed that Remus didn't answer his question about Sirius. He couldn't help feeling a bit let down that his godfather probably wasn't going to make it. Even though Siri had never missed his birthday before, Harry just had a weird feeling. He decided to ask again. Maybe Remus just didn't hear him?

"What about Sirius? Isn't he coming too?" Vernon asked curiously before Harry got the chance.

"Oh, um, well you see-" Remus mumbled. He didn't know what to say about Sirius. He hadn't heard from the other man in over two weeks, which in itself was odd.

"It's okay, Moony," Harry mumbled as he turned to go help his aunt in the kitchen.

"Harry, wait-" Remus began to say as a loud knock came from the front door. Harry stopped in his tracks and turned around hopefully.

When Vernon opened the door again he froze. His eyes were so wide that Harry thought they were going to pop out of his head, and his mouth had dropped open. "Uh," Vernon grunted. He was so surprised he couldn't speak. He slowly turned his head from the people standing on his front step to look at Remus.

"What is it, Vernon?" Remus asked worriedly. He couldn't tell who was at the door because he couldn't smell them. Why couldn't he smell them. Remus hurriedly went to stand next to Vernon to see just what had the larger man so stunned. He'd never seen Vernon quite so surprised.

"Oh. My. GODS!" Remus screamed as his eyes landed on the two man waiting on the steps. He simply couldn't believe it. It had been ten years since he'd last seen one of them. "Siri, is he real?"

Sirius barked out a loud laugh and couldn't contain the grin that split his face wide open. "Oh, Moony! Yes, he's real! I finally found him!" Sirius exclaimed as he wrapped an arm around his companion's shoulders.

"Moony? Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked curiously as he walked up between the two men. "Siri! You came!" Harry pushed between Vernon and Remus and tackled Sirius, knocking him and the other man to the ground laughing. He was so happy that his godfather had come for his birthday that he didn't even glance at the other man until Vernon and Remus had come outside to help them untangle from each other.

"Why don't we go into the house, and Siri can explain," Remus suggested as he pulled Sirius' companion to his feet.

"Yes, yes," Vernon said, "that would be a good idea."

The five of them entered the house but were brought to a sudden halt when they heard a woman gasp. Petunia had come out of the kitchen to see what all the ruckous was about and now stood there like she'd been frozen solid. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open. Harry thought she looked like she'd seen someone risen from the dead.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked softly. He'd never seen his aunt act that way before. He walked over to her and reached up to softly pat her on the cheek, much like when he'd been a baby, but Harry didn't know that.

Petunia looked at her nephew and smiled. "It's okay, Harry. I'm fine." Then she turned back to the men standing in her living room. "James?" she whispered. Could it really be him?

"James?" Harry asked. "James, as in my dad, James?" He slowly turned around to take a good look at the man who had come with his godfather. He took in the messy dark hair, the hazel eyes, the glasses. This man looked like what Harry figured he'd look in twenty or so years. "Dad?" he asked. He didn't dare to hope. He knew that his dad had been missing since the night that they'd been attacked in their home when his mother had been murdered. Although, that's all he knew. He had no idea what the whole story could be. Siri said he'd tell him before he went to Hogwarts. Now, standing here before him, was a man who could definitely be his father.

"Harry," the man whispered in awe. He'd thought he'd never see his family again. He quickly walked across the room and grabbed his son in a bear hug. "Oh, you're so big! I've missed you so much!"

Harry didn't know what to do. He was stunned. This was his father. Really. His real father. Before he realized what was happening, he was wrapped in the arms of the man. Could it be true? His dad was alive? He'd thought that Sirius and Remus had given up looking for his dad, but apparently he'd been wrong. If this was his dad, then where had he been? Why hadn't he come before now? What kept him away? Did he even care that he'd missed almost all of his son's life? These questions were spinning madly in Harry's brain as he stood still as a statue while his dad held him tightly. His dad. His DAD! His DAD WAS BACK! Even though Harry was a bit upset that it had taken so long for his father to return to him, he was also ecstatic that he was even here at all.

"DAD!" Harry cried out and wrapped his arms tightly around James. "Wha-wher-why?" Harry stuttered out. "Where have you been?"

"Harry, Harry, Harry," James murmured into his son's hair never loosening his hold on the boy. "I can explain everything, but for now, I'll just say that your godfather is one stubborn dog. He saved me, Harry. He came for me. I'm so happy to see you again!"

"James, it's really you," Petunia whispered loudly. "I-I'm so glad you came!" She reached out and patted James on the back since he'd still not let go of his son. She couldn't blame him for it all. If her Dudley showed up after so many years, she wouldn't want to let him go either.

"I think we need some explanations," Remus said soberly as he stared at James. "Where the bloody hell have you been Prongs?!" As happy as he was to see his best mate again, Remus was wary of this man. Something seemed off. James didn't smell right. For that matter, neither did Sirius. "You two don't smell right. Who are you?" Remus asked as he pulled his wand. "Get away from Harry now," he growled, his eyes turning amber.

"Whoa, Moony!" Sirius called out as he pulled his own wand. Instead of pointing it at Remus, he pointed it at himself. "I put a scent repression charm on us so that we could surprise you. Just put down your wand, and you'll see what I mean in just a moment." With a flick and curled arc of his wand, Sirius removed the charm from himself and James. "See? All better?"

Remus inhaled deeply until he caught the scent of his best mates. When James' scent reached his sensitive nose, Moony took over. Remus wouldn't have been able to stop his wolf inside even if he'd wanted to do so. He had his pack back. His pack! "Prongs!" Soon, James and Harry were wrapped in a crushing hug from Moony. Harry felt something wet dripping on the top of his head and looked up to see tears flowing down both Remus' and his dad's cheeks. It wasn't but a second before Sirius was joining in the group hug. As much as Harry loved this, he was beginning to feel suffocated.

"Okay, guys, get off! I can't breathe!" Harry laughed out as he tried to disentangle himself, but his dad wasn't letting go.

"Perhaps we could all sit down and know what's going on here," Vernon suggested with a smile. He'd never seen Harry so happy before. Not to say that Harry wasn't happy, but right now, he was glowing. Vernon knew it was his magic reacting to his emotions, but he was still stunned when Harry turned to look at him. The boys eyes were such a brilliant green that Vernon was surprised there hadn't been any accidental magic yet.

"Yes, I believe that's a very good idea," Petunia agreed as she sat in an armchair near the fireplace.

The Marauders and their cub all squished together on the sofa. James still hadn't completely released Harry. Vernon shook his head at the four of them before he took a seat in the matching chair to Petunia's own.

"So, it happened like this..." James began his tale.


	3. Chapter Two- James

Perfection Lost

* * *

Chapter Two- James' Story

* * *

***HP***

"So, it happened like this..." James began his tale. "I was sitting there playing with Harry when suddenly the alarms for the wards went off. Knowing that we were under the fidelius charm, I thought maybe an animal had accidentally set something off. See, the wards would let us know if any type of dangerous creature crossed them."

"But it wasn't an animal," Harry whispered. He had always wanted to know exactly what happened that night.

"No, it wasn't." James hugged his son tighter to his side. "It was an animagus. I went outside to look around, but there was nothing there out of the ordinary. At least, not that I could see. I went back into the house to let Lily know that I hadn't found anything outside, but-" James suddenly stopped and glanced at Harry. He wasn't sure if he should tell this part in front of his son. He didn't want to damage whatever memories the boy might have had of his mother.

"But what?" Harry questioned softly. He knew that whatever James was about to say wouldn't be anything that Harry would ever want to hear, but he _needed_ to know what happened.

Sirius, seeing James' discomfort with telling Harry this part of his story, said, "Harry, maybe you should go outside for a bit."

"No!" Harry shouted. "I have a right to know what happened to my mother!"

"Okay, cub, settle down," Remus soothed. "He's right, though. He does have a right to know what happened to Lily." His amber eyes shifted from Sirius back to James expectantly.

"Alright, then," James sighed deeply. "I came back inside to find Lily wrapped in the arms of another man. At first, I thought maybe it was Padfoot, Moony, or Wormtail. But, then the man turned around. He just stood there staring at me as if he were waiting for something. I didn't know what to say, or do. I just stood there like an idiot while the man leaned down and kissed my wife. That's when I lost it. I drew my wand, and then the next thing I know, I'm waking up to Padfoot slobbering all over me."

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Vernon murmured.

"What?!" Harry shouted again. "You mean to tell me that you have no idea where you've been for the last ten years!? How is that even possible?!" Harry didn't believe for one second that James was telling the whole story, and he wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Prongs?" Remus' face was scrunched up in confusion and disbelief.

"I wish I could explain it, but I honestly don't know anything else. Do you think I like the fact that I've missed out on my son's entire life? Do you think I don't want to know what happened to my wife? Why was she kissing another man? Who the _fuck_ was the man?!" James exploded. "I don't even know if Lily is dead or alive!"

"Sirius, where did you find James?" Remus asked soberly. He had his suspicions about what had happened, but wasn't about to share them in front of Harry.

"I didn't so much as find him as I stumbled across him."

"Stumbled across him?" Petunia asked quietly. She knew something was wrong with this whole story, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what it could be.

"Yeah, I literally stumbled across him when I stopped in at Hogwarts to see Severus." Sirius really didn't want to admit that bit, but it was necessary for them to understand. He just knew that there were going to be tons of questions about why he was visiting Severus Snape.

"He was at Hogwarts?! How the hell did we not find him before now?!" Remus was stunned. He had no idea how they could have missed finding Prongs if he was at Hogwarts the whole time. It just didn't seem possible. Then again, Hogwarts had many secrets that not even the Marauders, or Dumbledore, had ever been able to reveal.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought too." Sirius grimaced slightly as he continued on. "I had just reached the corridor to Severus' office when I heard what sounded like something soft sliding against stone. Kind of what a snake would sound like when slithering across a stone floor."

"I wouldn't be surprised if there were snakes in the dungeons," James muttered to himself.

"Anyway," Sirius said after shooting a glare at James for his interruption, "I decided to ignore the sound and had just reached the portrait outside of Severus' rooms when I tripped over something soft and solid. Imagine my surprise when I saw nothing there. Now, knowing all about invisibility cloaks," here Sirius tipped an imaginary hat to James, "I reached out, and guess what? There I found Prongs covered by his own cloak. The one we used to use to sneak around the school."

Harry suddenly jumped up and started pacing. No one stopped him, or tried to interrupt his thoughts. Petunia smiled softly when Harry began mumbling to himself. She knew this was how the boy worked out his problems. He would pace, mumble, pace some more. It was normal.

"Okay, so, let me get this straight," Harry began slowly. "That night, the wards went off due to an animagus, or that's what you believe."

"Yes," James nodded as he spoke. He decided to play along and see if his son could work out what might have happened. The boy may be only eleven years old, but on the way over here, Sirius had told him that Harry was very smart.

"Then, you find my mother kissing another man." This was a part that didn't seem right to Harry. Why would his mother want to kiss someone other than his father. From the stories that Moony and Padfoot had told him, his parents were deeply in love.

"Hmph," James grumbled with another nod. He really didn't like remembering that part. He still had no idea _why_ Lily would do that.

"Okay, so then you don't remember anything until Sirius finds you, correct?" Harry had stopped pacing and stood directly in front of his father with a raised brow. James eyes widened when he realized his son looked just like Snivellus when he did that.

"No, I don't remember anything else." James shook his head slightly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Harry asked the adults surrounding him. When all he got were confused looks, he sighed in exasperation. _How is it that I, an eleven year old who has never gone to school yet, can figure this out, but the adults can't!_ "I guess not," he mumbled and went on to explain his theory. "James was stunned, put under the sleeping beauty curse, hidden away until someone wanted him found. What I can't figure out is why, and why would he be found now? Does it have something to do with me starting at Hogwarts this year? Is Professor Snape involved with his disappearance? Was he the man that my mum was kissing? You said they dated, right?" This last question was directed at Remus who ducked his head when Sirius and James both turned to stare at him.

"Yes, they dated." Remus mumbled trying to avoid Sirius and James' attempts at catching his eye. How neither of them knew about Severus and Lily was still a mystery to him. It wasn't like they were very secretive about the whole affair.

"So, it could have been Professor Snape, right?" Harry asked James directly.

"No, it wasn't Snivellus." James growled. He hadn't known about Lily and Snape. It didn't mean anything now, but it still caused a burst of jealousy to rise in his heart.

"Don't call him that!" Sirius called out before Harry had a chance to say anything. Severus Snape had done a lot to help Sirius, Remus, and the Dursleys with Harry after everything that had happened. He had taken time to tutor the boy in potions and dark arts. He had spent countless hours babysitting when the Marauders were unable to do it for the Dursleys. Vernon and Petunia had relied on Severus quite a bit when Harry's magic started acting out. He had been able to ground the boy so that things like accidental apparition didn't happen nearly as often as they could have done. Sirius would never forget the first time they had found three year old little Harry perched on top of the roof of the house. Petunia had been frantic enough to almost call the muggle fire department to come get him down. But, thankfully, she had contacted Severus first.

"Why are you taking up for the git," James asked sourly.

"He's not a git!" Remus called out this time. He could never thank Severus enough for his help with their cub, or for brewing the wolfsbane potion every month free of charge. He didn't know what had happened to Severus to make him so willing to help his former childhood rivals and their cub, but was eternally grateful for it.

"He's always been a git!" James exclaimed hotly.

"How would _you_ know?" Vernon interjected harshly. He couldn't believe this was James Potter. The James he'd known would never have resorted to such childish insults. Yes, he knew that James and Severus didn't have the best childhood relationship, but that was over twenty years ago. He and James had been quite good friends. They'd gotten along well when he'd married Petunia. Hell, he'd even been there when Harry was born. But this man, this man here now, this man wasn't the same James Potter with whom he'd gone golfing and driving. "You haven't been here for the last ten years."

"Can we get back to more important things?" Harry asked exasperatedly. These people were suppose to be the adults in his life. He shook his head and returned to the original topic. "So, if it wasn't Professor Snape, could it have been Peter?"

The looks on Sirius, James, and Remus' faces was priceless. The thought had never crossed their minds that Peter could have been the man there that night. It made an odd sort of sense when they thought about it. Peter had been missing almost as long as James had done. The last time anyone had seen him was on Harry's second birthday. After that, Peter had gone on an "extended vacation" according to Dumbledore. And since Dumbledore told them not to worry, they didn't. Honestly, they'd forgotten all about Peter.

"P-peter!" James spluttered. "Wormtail would not have kissed MY wife! He wouldn't dare! If I find out that little rat was slobbering all over MY woman, I'll kill him!"

Harry looked at his father hard. He took in the messy, dark hair, the glasses, the hazel eyes, the slight chaser like build. He looked exactly as the others had always described him, except for one thing.

"Where'd you get that scar?" Harry asked while pointing to a rather ugly patch of scar tissue on James' left arm. It almost looked like a burn, but Harry could feel the magic radiating off of it. He'd always been particularly sensitive to dark magic, and that scar was emanating some very dark magic.

"Oh, this?" James asked nonchalantly. "I got this during an auror raid."

That response made Sirius' head jerk up. Remus raised an eyebrow in question. As far as they both knew, James had never been an auror. Why would he have been in a raid with them? Before either could voice their questions, Harry had picked up Remus' wand, which was sitting on the coffee table in front of them, and pointed it at James.

"Just who the bloody hell are you?!" Harry snarled while pointing the wand directly at his so-called father's heart. He noticed that Remus and Sirius were sitting there stunned at his actions, but he didn't really care. This man was NOT James Potter! Harry had felt that something was off, but he hadn't been able to put his finger on it. Now, he knew. This man couldn't be his father. He knew his father would NEVER work for the ministry. He had several old journals of James' that went into detail of how much James hated the ministry for not fighting against Voldemort.

"Harry," James began softly, "I'm James. You're father. Put the wand down, son."

"You are NOT James Potter. You are NOT my father. And, you are NOT going anywhere!" Harry yelled the last out just before stunning James. The man had suddenly tried to make a dash for the door. Harry turned back to his family and asked, "Now what? His story was obviously a load of bull."

"Now, we take him to Dumbledore," Sirius answered firmly.

"No," Harry returned thoughtfully, "not Dumbledore. From what you all have told me that man likes to play chess way too much."

"The only other place to take him would be the ministry." Remus answered.

"No, we can't do that either. How is it that this man looks like my father, but it's been over an hour already. It can't be polyjuice." Harry tilted his head to the side and stared at the man on the floor.

"Well," Vernon answered, "he can't stay here, Harry. It's not safe. That Moldyshorts guy could have sent him." The Marauders and Harry all burst out laughing at Vernon's name for Voldemort. It really was rather funny.

"Moldyshorts," Sirius giggled. "I am so going to call him that all the time now."

"I have an idea," Petunia said as she stood up and made her way to the kitchen.

The others sat there waiting for her to return, taking turns prodding the stunned James Potter look-a-like as if he were an opossum found by small children on the side of the road _. All we need is a stick_ , Sirius thought gleefully.

Petunia returned to the living room with an odd bundle of clothing. She set it down on the table and unfolded a dirty, ratty cloak. "This was Tom Riddle's cloak when he was a seventh year. Don't ask how I got it, because I can't tell you. It was left with me for safe keeping by a friend. Now, if I'm correct, if I place this cloak over him, he will revert back to his natural appearance. It's a special cloak that unveils disguises."

Petunia draped the cloak over James and left it there for a few moments. When she pulled it away everyone in the room gasped in surprise.

"How?" Harry whispered. "I thought you said it unveiled disguises. There's no way that that's my father!"

"I agree," Vernon rumbled concernedly. "That's not the James Potter that I knew."

"Nor I," Petunia added softly.

"No, that isn't our James," Remus said in a stunned whisper. He turned to Sirius and noticed the crinkles around his best mate's eyes and knew that the animagus was thinking hard.

"I think that man very well may be James Potter," Sirius started to say but was interrupted with several denials. "But," he continued while holding up a hand to silence them, "he's not _our_ James Potter. He's identical except for the scar on his arm and his hatred for Severus."

"What are you saying, Sirius," Petunia asked worriedly.

"I'm saying that-"

"He's from either another time or dimension." Harry finished Sirius' sentence in complete and utter awe.

"Yes, I believe he may be."

Remus stood up and clasped his hands behind his back. He glanced at everyone in the room, then looked down to the man on the floor. "Now, what do we do?"

* * *

AN: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad that everyone, so far as I know, is enjoying this story. I really wanted it to be different from anything else I've ever seen on . I hope I am succeeding.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the long wait.

Disclaimer: Not making money on this.

 **Perfection** **Lost**

 **Chapter Three- Peter**

 **Nine Years Ago- Harry's 2nd Birthday (1983)**

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" Peter said quietly while offering a small, blue stuffed rat to the chubby little two year old who was trying to get his Unca Mooey's attention by pulling on his trouser leg. Peter chuckled when Remus had to keep hitching his trousers back up over his hips from all the tugging.

"Careful there, Prongslet," Sirius laughed as he scooped the baby up into his arms, "before you help poor Moony give us a show none of us want to see!"

Remus reached over and thwapped Sirius on the back of the head. "I'll have you know that any show I put on would be worth seeing!"

"According to whom?" Vernon chimed in as he carried a tray of snacks from the kitchen into the living room. "Your mirror?"

"It's probably the only thing that's ever seen any show from Moony!" was called from the kitchen by Petunia followed by a giggle.

"Your wife that's who!" Remus retorted as he dodged the piece of treacle tart Vernon had lobbed at his head as he stuck his tongue out at the door to the kitchen.

"Nah," Sirius laughed as he twirled Harry in circles making the little one giggle loudly. "We all know Tuney only has eyes for me!"

"That's only because your over-inflated ego and abnormally large head make it impossible to see anything else," Severus drawled as he plucked Harry out of Sirius' arms.

"I'll show you a big head-" Sirius started to say before being interrupted.

"Careful, Severus," Vernon warned with a smile, "little Harry there looks a little green after all that spinning."

"Ah, in that case."

Harry immediately passed into Peter's arms as the dizzy child promptly spewed everything he'd eaten for lunch all over Peter's shirt.

"Hahaha!" Sirius barked out and pointed at his friend as Peter handed the still grinning baby over to Vernon as he tried, and failed, to hide his anger at Sirius' laughter. His face had gone red in embarrassment and humiliation. Sirius was always saying or doing things to humiliate him. Peter, even after so many years of being with the Marauders, still didn't know if it was intentional or just how Sirius liked to play around. If it had happened to Remus, Sirius probably would have laughed, but not have made such a show of it.

"Come on Wormy," Remus coaxed the irate rat animagus, "let's get you cleaned up."

That was another thing that Peter had put up with for many years. The others all thought him incompetent when it came to basic magic. It was all because he'd never bothered learning household charms, and they all thought he just couldn't do them at all. He'd never tried. He was a pureblood male. Why would he need to know a cleaning charm? If his wife couldn't do them, then his house-elves would take care of it. He conveniently ignored that he had neither wife nor house elf. It never crossed his mind that Remus was just the mothering type. He was just so tired of these two treating him like an almost-squib. They were supposed to be his best friends. Friends don't treat each other like that, right? _'Except they do, and always have,'_ ran through Peter's mind.

Pushing away his treasonous, or at least Sirius would think so, thoughts, Peter allowed Remus to perform a _scourgify_ on his blue shirt before softly smiling at little Harry who was now tugging at his Uncle Vernon's mustache.

"Sorry guys, but I have to go," Peter mumbled as he collected his cloak and kissed Harry on the head in goodbye.

"Oh, Peter, why so soon?" Petunia asked as she entered the living room. "The cake is almost ready; just waiting for the icing to set."

"I'm really sorry, but I have to-" Peter broke off as he tried to think up an excuse. He couldn't very well tell them the truth of everywhere he was visiting today. They would never understand. He still didn't fully understand how he'd ended up in the mess in which he'd found himself caught. "-to go see my cousin, um, Charlotte. She's ill, and Mum asked to check in on her."

"Cousin Charlotte?" Remus asked in confusion. "You've never mentioned her before now."

"Oh, well, see," Peter hurriedly explained, "she's not my real cousin. Just a daughter of Mum's friend, Sarah."

"Sarah Bulstrode?" Sirius asked this time. "Hm, thought she only had a son. Willy or something."

"Um, yeah," Peter hedged. "Charlotte's adopted. But anyway, I said I'd stop by to check on her. She goes to bed really early, and it's already after six."

"Is she older than Dumbledore, or what?" Sirius joked as Peter rushed toward the door. "Guess so," Sirius mumbled as he watched the other man apparate as soon as he was over the threshold.

"Is it just me, or was that really odd?" Severus asked with a raised brow. After having handed Harry off to Peter, he'd gone in to the kitchen to assist Petunia. He'd only heard the last part of Peter's excuse for leaving early.

"No, it was definitely odd," Remus responded thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, Pete's been acting really odd for the last few months. At first, I thought it was just because of all that's happened. But now, I don't know what's going on with him anymore."

"He'll come around," Sirius said dismissively and stuffed a small piece of tart into Harry's mouth and laughed when the baby spit it out into his little hand and shoved it into Vernon's mustache.

"Ea' it! Unca' Vernown!" he giggled as his uncle raised a brow at him and licked the sticky mess from his mouth.

"Goo' Boy!" Harry said and patted his uncle's smiling cheeks.

**PL**PL**

 **One Week After Harry's 2nd Birthday**

"I brought what you asked for, Mum!" Peter called out as he levitated several bags of groceries into the tiny kitchen of the small house he'd grown up in with his mother after his father had passed away in his second year at Hogwarts.

After putting everything away, Peter walked in to the comfortably, yet outdated, furnished living room in search of his mother. It wasn't all that strange that she hadn't returned his greeting. The elderly witch had given birth to him in her sixties (which was very uncommon in either the wizarding or muggle worlds) and was already close to a hundred years old. What **was** strange was the man sitting in his mother's favorite rocking chair. Peter froze in the doorway from the kitchen to the living room.

"Hello, Mr. Pettigrew," the man greeted with twinkling eyes and a slight smile.

"Headmaster?" Peter glanced around the homey room in search of his mother. "Where's my mum? Why are you here?"

"It has come to my attention, Mr. Pettigrew, that you have been keeping secrets from the Order and myself, in particular," Dumbledore stated with a raised brow; the grandfatherly smile and twinkle had turned decidedly cold. Peter shivered at the anger, now blatantly obvious, in the headmaster's expression.

"I-I d-don't know wh-what you mean-" Peter began to stammer.

"Do **not** lie to me!" Dumbledore interrupted in an icy tone. Peter could now feel the older wizard's aura expand with his anger.

"Wh-where's my mum?!" Peter shouted. The headmaster was making nervous, and his mother never left the house; which is why Peter had brought her groceries.

"Safe."

"Safe?!" Peter yelled. "She was safe here! Where have you taken my mother, Dumbledore?!" Peter, in his fear for his mother, forgot for a moment that the man in front of him was known as one of the most powerful since Merlin. He stalked towards Albus Dumbledore, a man he'd respected nearly all of his life, and grabbed him by his beard. "You'd b-better tell me where my mum is, or-or-"

"Or what, Mr. Pettigrew?" Dumbledore snarled threateningly. "Will you call your _master_?" The word master was said with such disgust and loathing that Peter was slightly taken aback. "Will you have him come kill me like you did Lily Potter nine months ago?" Dumbledore continued sarcastically. "Will you have me kidnapped like James? Tell me, **PETER** , what. Will. You. Do?!" The last four words were growled menacingly.

"What?!" Peter's eyes were wide with surprise, nearly bugging out of his head. _'What the hell is the old man talking about?_ _Where the hell did he get those ideas?'_ It didn't matter that he knew a few things that he couldn't tell anyone. He'd made an unbreakable vow. "You've g-gone completely barmy," Peter stammered as he raised his wand and tried to apparate away. He was absolutely terrified by the old man in front of him. When nothing happened, and he noticed the smug smirk on the headmaster's face, Peter did the only other thing he could right then. He transformed into a rat. The headmaster flinched in surprise. He had not known that the coward was an animagus, and before he could adjust the anti-apparition and portkey wards he'd raised upon arrival, Peter was gone. Peter had scurried through a small hole in the wall that led outside into a patch of thick shrubbery near the tree-line of the forest surrounding the house. Once he'd reached the trees, Peter transformed back and apparated away.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes in fury when he heard the crack of apparation that sounded before he'd made it to the kitchen door. He would be the last member of the Order or Ministry to ever again lay eyes on Peter Michael Pettigrew.

**PL**PL**

No sooner than Peter had completed his apparation he was sprinting for the large house on the hill up ahead. It was a decent half mile away to the ward-line. Peter, like most wizards these days, was not in the best physical shape. Regardless of the painful stitch in his side and burning in his legs and lungs, he did not stop running until he breached the powerful wards surrounding the home of his closest friends. When he felt the soothing magic wash over his body like a gentle shower, he collapsed to his knees and struggled to regain his breath. Finally being able to breathe normally again, Peter finished his walk at as brisk a pace as his over-worked legs could manage.

"Peter?" A woman's voice called from the sitting room just off to the right of the entry hall, "Is that you?"

"It's me!" Peter called back as he left the rather sparse hall. "I have to tell you-" he broke off what he was saying when he saw who was seated next to his best friend. Eyes wide in a mix of surprise and a little fear, Peter asked, "When did he wake up? Does your- um, does **He** know he's awake?"

The woman giggled at her friend's expression before smirking at him. "Of course **He** knows." She giggled again when Peter's eyes just got wider. "Who do you think finally managed to wake him?"

"W-well, does he know," Peter pointed to the man sitting next to the petite woman, "the truth?"

"I've explained things the best I can, but he always was just that little bit thicker than most." The woman replied teasingly as she poked the man next to her in the cheek with her index finger.

The glared at the beautiful woman and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Don't stick it out unless you plan to use it!" She winked and laughed again.

Both men's mouths dropped open in surprise, but it was a third male's voice that scolded in exasperated amusement, "Lily!"


	5. Chapter 5- Owls and Letters

Perfection Lost

Chapter Five

Present Day

"So, I guess we should figure out what to do with Non-James," Sirius said somberly. He was so disappointed. He'd been so happy to find James. Now, he just had another problem with which to deal. Not only had he not found James, but there was this imposter for them to handle.

"Non-James?" Remus asked with a raised brow.

"Well, what else should I call him? He's James, but not." Sirius shrugged as Remus just shook his head at him.

"Moony, I have an idea of how he got here." Harry said quietly with his head down. "I think this is my fault."

"How could this be your fault, Harry? I'm the one who thought I'd actually had some good luck for once." Sirius was surprised that Harry would think any of this was his fault. The poor kid hadn't had a clue about it until Sirius had plopped the Non-James down in front of Harry like a total tool.

"Well, I made a wish at midnight last night," Harry began to explain. "I always wait for midnight the night before my birthday. I don't know why, but it's just something I do."

"Okay, well making a birthday wish doesn't mean this is your fault." Sirius answered while running his hand through his hair. He was feeling a bit agitated.

Remus narrowed his eyes in thought as he tried to figure out exactly what Harry's wish could have been to have brought Non-James to their dimension. Remus had already decided that the man was a dimension, not time, traveler. For one, he was the right age their James would have been by now. For two, James had come to terms with the fact that Severus and Lily were inseparable. This Non-James obviously had some serious issues with Severus.

"I wished that I could see my parents at least one more time," Harry whispered while blinking frantically. He wasn't going to cry damn it!

"Oh, Love," Petunia sighed, "I know that with magic wishes can sometimes come true, but I really don't think there is any magic powerful enough to bring back the dead."

"I know," Harry nodded, "but see, he's from another dimension. For my wish to come true, Magick brought my dad from another dimension." That was when the tears began to fall. His wish had come true, but not the way he'd hoped.

"Harry, what is it?" Vernon asked. "I don't see how magic bringing Non-James here should be a bad thing. He may not be your dad, but he is at the same time."

"Don't you all understand?!" Harry shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "My dad is dead! If Magick had to bring him from another dimension, then that means he's really dead here!" Then, Harry ran outside to his treehouse.

"Oh my," Petunia whispered as she watched her nephew run out the back door. "Could he be right?"

"Absolutely not," Sirius was adamant with his response. "I think I would know if James was really dead. I would feel it here." He placed his hand over his heart. "James and I were bonded as blood brothers. I could always feel when he was hurt. I think I'd definitely know if he was dead."

"That's why you haven't given up looking for him." Vernon rubbed his hand over his face and looked towards the kitchen. "I think I'm going to go talk to Harry. Why don't you two," he pointed his finger at Sirius and Remus, "find some place to take this Non-James. I don't believe it will be good for Harry to see him again."

"Of course," Remus immediately agreed as he picked up his wand from where Harry had dropped it on the carpet before he ran outside. "Any idea where to take him, Siri?"

"Hmm, maybe we should take him to Grimauld. Then, I can floo Severus and see if he can help."

"Okay, sounds like a plan." Remus answered and pointed his wand at Non-James. "Mobilicorpus."

Harry didn't bother with opening the back door when he made his exit. His magic did it for him. As the door swung open, and he ran outside towards his treehouse, he heard the sound of wings flapping. Looking up at the bright blue sky he saw a white owl winging its way toward him. He held his arm up and smiled when the snowy owl gently gripped his forearm with her talons.

"Well hello, beautiful," Harry cooed as he petted the softest feathers he'd ever felt, and that was saying something because Harry had petted a lot of owls in his eleven years. "Have you got something for me?"

"Hoot, hoot, hoot." The owl responded. Oh, yes, she was going to like this human. He scratched in all the right places.

"What's your name pretty girl?" Harry asked. He'd always had an affinity with animals, but this owl seemed so very familiar to him for some reason. He'd never seen her before though.

"Hoot, woot," the owl answered while nipping gently at Harry's ear.

"Hedwig?" Harry cocked his head to the side in curiosity. He may have an affinity for animals, but he'd never been able to understand any of them other than snakes. But he was pretty sure this owl had just said her name was Hedwig. How cool!

"Hoot," Hedwig affirmed.

"Well, Hedwig, do you have something for me?" Harry asked as he looked pointedly at the letter still clutched in her talons.

"Hoot, hoo, hoot, woot, hoo."

"I have to open it when I'm alone?" This understanding Hedwig was probably the coolest thing since he'd learned he could speak to snakes. Harry wondered if there were other animals to which he could talk.

"Hoot."

"Okay, is it alright if I open it in my treehouse? I think you'll like it up there, or do you have to go?"

"Hoot, woot, hoooo."

"Oh, you're suppose to stay? Do I need to write a reply?"

"Hoot." Hedwig was so happy to finally have found a wizard who could understand her. She was tired of just being treated as some dumb animal. She wasn't a dumb animal. She was Hedwig! She was special! Her mum had told her that she would someday find her wizard, and that when she did that she should never let him go. So, that's what she was going to do. Never let her wizard go.

"Okay, so no reply." Harry ran his hand through Hedwig's feathers one more time before heading towards the treehouse. He couldn't climb the ladder while holding the owl, so he waved his left hand and slowly levitated them both up. He could have just asked Hedwig to fly up and taken the ladder himself, but if he was going to be weird, then he may as well take advantage of the weirdness.

Yes, Harry thought he was strange. He wasn't like all of the other kids in the neighborhood. He could do things which those kids could only ever dream. He could make himself float up several meters in the air, but it wasn't quite flying. Although, he was determined that he would be able to fly without any assistance some day. He could speak to snakes. How many people have you ever heard of who could speak to snakes who wasn't an evil bastard? He could create fire in the palm of his hand with just a thought. And, wasn't that a frightening concept for an eleven year old to be able to do such a thing? He could fix almost anything that had been broken with a wave of his hand. Honestly, he was kind of happy with that since he'd been such a clumsy child while his body grew into his magic. He knew he was far from done growing, but he was already as tall as most thirteen year olds and could probably even pass for a short fifteen year old. He could make something disappear with a twitch of his finger, and yes, that included animals and people. He'd found that out the hard way when a bully at school had teased him about being clumsy. He still didn't know what happened to the kid. He just assumed that his parents would have reported him missing if he hadn't already been found. So, yes, Harry James Potter was the weirdest of weird in his book.

Harry knew that he was magical, but he also knew that he was more magical than most kids his age. He was actually probably more magical than most adults. He didn't know that though. If he'd ever thought to ask Remus, Sirius, or even Severus he might have found out that his power level was just about equal to the great Albus too many names Dumbledore, and he was still growing.

Once Harry had made himself comfortable by laying against a giant, green bean bag his aunt had given him last Christmas, he untied the letter from Hedwig's leg and set her down on his knee. Looking at the name and address on the envelop made his eyebrows rise nearly to his hairline.

"What the bloody hell?" Harry murmured as he just stared at the envelop in stupefaction. There, written in beautiful calligraphy was not just his name and address, but several titles as well.

 _Harry James Potter_

 _Prince of Asgard_

 _Prince of Vanaheim_

 _Lord of House LeFey_

 _Heir of House Potter_

 _Heir of House Gryffindor_

 _Heir of House Slytherin_

 _4 Private Drive_

 _Treehouse_

 _Little Whinging, Surrey, UK_

Needless to say, Harry was in awe and he hadn't even opened the envelop yet. How could he have so many titles, and where the hell did they come from? Blinking several times and shaking his head, he decided that he should read the letter. Hopefully, it would have an explanation. So he took a deep breath and broke the plain black wax seal. The letter was written on smooth parchment that seemed to have a hint of a greenish tint. The ink was glowing silver.

 _Harry,_

 _I hope this letter finds you quickly. There is much that you need to know before you begin your education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. By now, I'm sure you have noticed the very impressive list of titles that you carry with your name. These will all be explained in time, but first, let me tell you who I am. My name is Lily Jazmine Evans. I am your mother. I am so very sorry that I haven't been there for you. I can only give you my reasons for it and hope that you will someday forgive me._

 _I guess I should start where everything began. When I was in my sixth year of schooling at Hogwarts, I fell deeply in love with a man who is my everything. I'm sure everyone would tell you that this man was your father, but I'm sorry to tell you he is not. Do not think that I didn't love your father, James, because I did. It just wasn't the same kind of love I'd felt for my best friend nearly all my life. You see, I'm telling you this because that man will be your teacher when you start at Hogwarts. His name is Severus Snape, and he's the potions professor._

 _Severus and I grew up together. Our houses were only a few blocks from each other. We used to meet at the park, and I would mend his wounds from his abusive father. His mother was in a mental institution in the muggle world because Tobias, Sev's father, had her put there. Tobias hated magic. He hated anything to do with it. You see, Tobias was a squib. So, he took his hate, jealousy, and anger of not having magic of his own out on his wife and son. My parents tried several times to get Sev to come live with us, but Tobias would rant and rave and threaten to tell the muggles about magic. So we simply did the best we could together._

 _When Sev and I started Hogwarts, we both thought it would be a perfect getaway for him. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. You see, Severus was rather small and skinny for his age. His nose was rather large, but that's just because he was young. He eventually grew into his features. His clothing was second hand and it showed. My parents had offered to buy his school robes and supplies, but Sev wasn't having any of it. He said he was grateful for the offer, but if he couldn't take care of his own needs, then he could do without. My parents had no choice but to agree, but they did buy him new clothing at Christmas time and on his birthday._

 _When we got on the train to Hogwarts, we were both so excited to meet other magical children like ourselves. Neither of us realized the amount of prejudice in the wizarding world against those of mixed blood. See, my parents were muggles. You should know this already unless Petunia has decided to keep your heritage from you. Although, I don't see her doing that. I was a muggleborn witch with a best friend who everyone thought was a halfblood. Sev's mum was a witch from a pureblood family, but everyone thought Tobias was a muggle. Only Sev and I ever knew he was a squib, and we didn't find that out until Sev turned seventeen and went to Gringott's to claim his inheritance. Anyway, I'm rambling on._

 _So, I am a muggleborn. Sev was thought to be a halfblood. Now, imagine, the two of us in our muggle clothing, eyes bright in excitement, chattering happily together on the platform for the Hogwarts Express. Neither of us had ever seen it before, so we were giddy with delight at the old steam train. So there we were, happily examining everything around us when suddenly I was pushed to the ground. "Get out of the way, mudblood" was what the boy with red hair sneered at me. Severus turned and had his wand in his hand before the other boy could blink. He told the redhead to leave me alone or he would turn him into a frog. The older boy just laughed and pulled his own wand. That was when Sev muttered a curse under his breath that to this day I still have no idea what it did. The redhead yelped in pain and rushed to get on the train. To me, it looked like he had suddenly had a stick jammed up his spine through somewhere a stick should never go. Sev smirked and helped me up. We finally got on the train only to run into another problem._

 _The compartments were almost all full. The only one that wasn't packed to the brim was all the way at the back of the train. See, by now, we were both huffing and puffing. Our trunks were awfully heavy for eleven year olds. Both of us had probably packed more books than clothes. I still don't know why we didn't ask someone for help, but there were other things on our minds. We finally reached the last compartment to find it about half full with four boys in it. I knocked on the door and poked my head in to ask if we could sit with them. I was blown away by the answer I received._

" _You can, but we don't like dark wizards, so the nasty git has to go" was what a boy with dark hair and glasses said to me. I just stared at him. What did he mean dark wizard? Sev wasn't a dark wizard, and I didn't know why the boy would think that. "He's not a dark wizard, and he's not nasty!" I shouted at the bespectacled boy. "He is so. If he weren't a dark wizard, he wouldn't have used that curse on Fabian" is what one of the other boys said. That boy was pale with black hair and grey eyes. "Who's Fabian?" I asked them. The other two boys hadn't said anything so far, but my question got an answer from the smaller mousy looking one. "Fabian Prewitt. He's the heir to House Prewitt. Well, him and his twin brother. They're fifth years." Honestly, I didn't care who it was that Sev had cursed. That boy, Fabian, had knocked me down and called me a name that I assumed was meant to be derogatory. I told the four boys in the compartment as much, but the one with the glasses laughed. He laughed at me, and I saw red._

 _I pulled my wand and was just about to shout out a curse that Sev and I had learned from one of his mother's old books that Sev had found in his attic, but the boy who hadn't said anything yet jumped to his feet and stood in front of his friends. His brownish eyes suddenly glowed with an amber light and he growled at me. He actually growled. Like an animal. Sev's eyes got big and he grabbed my hand and pulled me from the compartment. So, we spent our first train ride to Hogwarts sitting on the floor of the aisle with our trunks next to us. That was also the day that I learned that not only was Sev my best friend, but he was my protector. It's also the day we first met the marauders. The boys in the compartment were James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus. We didn't get off to a very good start, but things would change over the years._

 _As we grew up and learned that Sev and I were on our own, we became closer and closer. In our sixth year, I realized that my feelings toward Sev had changed. I no longer thought of him as my brother. I felt for him as I would a lover. As it turned out, when I finally got the courage to admit my feelings to Sev, he said he felt the same. We started officially dating. No one really paid much attention to it because we had always been inseparable. But there was one person who, no matter what I did to discourage him, was constantly asking me out._

 _That person is your father, James. He just wouldn't leave me alone. Over the years, the Marauders had stopped teasing me for being friends with Sev, but they hadn't left Sev alone. No, it would take an event that nearly ruined all of us for that to finally happen. You see, Peter was the only one who didn't join in on the fights with us all through our years at Hogwarts. Remus would never start anything, but he was always right there to help James and Sirius. Most of the time Sev and I were outnumbered, but we gave as good as we got._

 _Anyway, I keep getting off track. Back to James. James Potter was a bully to put it simply. He was a pureblood, good looking, smart, and cocky. Sev used to say that if James' head got any bigger he'd float away. I had to agree. For all that James was swooned over by the other girls, I never so much as looked his way. Until the beginning of seventh year. James and Sirius, for some reason they still won't tell me, had come running from the Forbidden Forest towards the Black lake, where Sev and I were sitting studying, looking as if the hounds of hell were on their trail. Who knows? They very well could have been. With magic, anything is possible. Never, ever forgot that, my son._

 _All I know is that Sirius was screaming at James to run faster while barely being able to stay on his own two feet. His hair was a mangled mess, blood was running from a gash in the side of his face, and he was missing a shoe. James didn't look much better. James' robes were ripped, his nose was bleeding, and he was also missing a shoe. "Run!" Sirius screamed at me and Sev as he sprinted past us, James on his heels. I looked to Sev in question, and he was staring over my shoulder at the forest with every bit of color drained from his face. There, at the tree line, stood something that would haunt my dreams for years to come. I still have no idea what that thing was, but Sev grabbed my hand and began running for the castle. I was dragged behind him like a ragdoll. Our bags and cloaks were left sprawled out on the ground by the lake as we ran as fast as we could for the school. We would later find our things torn to shreds and scattered all over the bank of the lake._

 _Sirius reached the doors to the entry hall first. He had shoved them open just far enough that we could fit through the crack. He didn't stop once he'd entered. He continued to sprint through the corridors to the headmaster's office. James stopped just inside and was yelling at me and Sev to run faster. "Hurry, faster! It's gaining on you!" he screamed at us. I was terrified. Whatever that tall, dark thing in the forest had been, it was still chasing us. Sev dragged me into the school, and James slammed the door closed behind us. "What the bloody fuck was that thing, Potter?!" Sev shouted at James, but James was bent double trying to catch his breath. It was then that Headmaster Dumbledore came into the hall. He asked if we were all okay and sent us up to the Infirmary to see Madame Pomfrey. As Sev led me away, I heard Dumbledore ask James why Severus and I was with them in the forest. Later I found out that James had told Dumbledore that it was all his and Sirius' fault that the thing we'd seen had come after us all. Dumbledore didn't do anything about it. Sirius told me later that night that he and James were doing something for the headmaster in the forest, but it had gone all wrong. He never would tell me what it was they were doing. Peter later told me, the next day in charms class, that Sirius and James had probably saved mine and Sev's lives. Needless to say, that changed everything._

 _Severus thanked James in the middle of the Great Hall at dinner time, formally. Now, you might not think this is a big deal, but it's a much bigger deal than you would imagine. Magick made sure of it. When James accepted Sev's gratitude and then apologized for dragging us into the middle of whatever was going on, Magick took over. A bond was formed. A very strange bond. At first we believed it was a life debt, but found out from Professor McGonnagal that a life debt tends to glow orange. This magic wasn't orange. It was a pure, blinding white. Professor Flitwick said he believed it to be a bond of brotherhood, or companionship. Well, that was the closest thing we could find to what Sev and James had experienced anyway. So, there we were at the beginning of our seventh year, and my boyfriend and the boy who wanted to be my boyfriend had somehow become bonded by friendship. Sirius laughed for days at James' plight. Because, you see, just because Magick determined James and Sev should be friends, didn't mean that James and Sev wanted to be friends._

 _Remus and Peter were quite happy with the way things had turned out. Neither of them had ever really disliked Severus the way James and Sirius had done. They were rather glad that the tension and spiteful pranks would stop. Peter was always so quiet that none of us really knew that he had wanted to be friends with Sev and I since that train ride back in first year. As for Remus, well, anything that kept the peace was okay with him._

 _By the end of first term, just before Christmas holidays, the four Marauders had become six. Severus and Sirius had become almost as close as James and Sirius had been growing up. They shared a dark past of abuse and neglect. It makes me wonder sometimes how things would have turned out if James and Siri hadn't seen Sev curse Fabian Prewitt in first year. I believe we all would have been quite happy as friends. Remus and Peter had taken to hanging out more together. Remus had always been the mothering type, and Peter definitely needed mothering. The poor boy was a lost cause when it came to taking care of himself._

 _So that left me and James. At first, things weren't much different than before between us. James would ask me out, I would say no. By this point in time, me and Sev had been dating for almost a year. James just wouldn't give up though. It was very tiring trying to keep my distance from him. Severus and I had been spending less and less time together because seventh year is the hardest of them all. We had NEWTS coming up, tons of homework, and Sev and Siri were always in the potions classroom doing only the gods know what. By the end of seventh year, Sev and I had drifted so far apart that we no longer even held hands anymore, let alone acted like boyfriend/girlfriend. It wasn't that we had stopped loving each other, though. I don't think anything could have made that happen. It was just that I realized that there was much more to James Potter than I had ever known._

 _I did what I thought was best when I noticed that I looked at James a little too often and a little too long. I paid more attention to the stories he would tell than I ever had before. I noticed his eyes weren't really hazel, but fluctuated between a deep gray and sky blue. But Sev was my boyfriend. I shouldn't have been noticing things about James. I spoke to Sev about it, and he agreed that we had drifted apart. He made sure to let me know that he still loved me, and always would, but said that if I felt anything at all for James that I owed it to all of us to see what may come of it. "You never know, you might still think he's a toerag in the end" Sev had said with a chuckle. So that's how me and your father ended up together._

Harry stopped reading for a moment and rubbed at his eyes. His mother's writing was beautiful, but the swirly way she formed some of her letters was giving him a headache. He looked over to the railing where Hedwig had flown when he'd shifted his legs at some point and noticed she was watching something on the ground.

"What is it girl?" Harry asked as he set the letter to the side and stood up to look over the railing.

"Harry? Are you up there?" Vernon called out from the bottom of the ladder. He was standing there staring up at the snowy owl perched on the rail. She was the most beautiful owl he'd ever seen, but he was curious about from where she'd come.

"Yeah, Uncle, I'm up here!" Harry called back down.

"May I come up?" Vernon asked as he placed one foot on the ladder.

Harry glanced back at the letter sitting on the floor. He wasn't sure he wanted anyone to know about it yet. At least not until he'd had a chance to read the whole thing.

"Um, I'll come down," Harry said as he grabbed the letter and stuffed it under his bean bag chair. It should be safe there until he came back up to get it.

"Okay, well, I just wanted to let you know that Sirius and Remus have taken Non-James to Grimauld until they can figure out what to do with him."

"Oh, okay," Harry muttered as he floated down. "Did they make sure to stun him again? So he doesn't escape?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure they'll be able to handle him. Who's your new friend?" Vernon replied as Harry landed on the ground.

Harry smiled and looked up at the snowy owl still perched on the railing. "That's Hedwig. She just showed up."

"Hedwig, huh? Did you name her that? Or does she belong to Neville?" Vernon could swear he'd seen that owl around the yard before, but he couldn't be sure. With Harry being magical there were an abundance of owls that flew in and out of their yard, not all of them delivering post either. They just seemed to be drawn to wherever his nephew seemed to be at the time. He couldn't count how many times he'd come upon Harry sitting and petting some random owl, or speaking to the snakes that liked Petunia's garden.

"Oh, she's not Neville's bird." Harry explained a bit sheepishly. "She just showed up and told me her name is Hedwig."

"She told you?" Vernon's left eyebrow had nearly reached his hair at that statement. Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if the owl had somehow communicated with Harry. The boy was just that magical.

"Um, yeah?" Harry rubbed a hand across his neck, ruffling up his hair a bit just like his dad used to do. Vernon smiled at the action.

"Okay, well, why don't you bring her inside, and we'll see if we can find a treat or two?" Vernon offered as he turned to head back into the house.

"Oh, sure!" Harry exclaimed happily. "C'mon girl, let's go find you some bacon or something!"

Vernon shook his head as the owl flew down and landed on Harry's shoulder and nipped the boys ear softly. Then man, boy, and owl went into the house to find treats. Vernon was pretty sure that Harry had forgotten it was his birthday after all the commotion earlier. He knew that would change as soon as Harry saw the cake and presents Petunia had laid out while the boy had been outside. Right in the middle of the pile of presents, and surrounding the cake, was the game console his nephew had practically begged them to buy for him. The smile that lit up Harry's face made everything, whether it be magical catastrophes or muggle annoyances, worth having taken the boy into his home ten years ago.

As happy as Harry was with the presents and cake, his mind was still on the unfinished letter from his mum. He still hadn't found out who sent it for her, or why they'd waited so long after her death to do it. He made a resolution to finish reading it after dinner. Right now, he was going to enjoy his eleventh birthday with his aunt and uncle.


End file.
